Chicken Wing Drumettes

It is that time of year! Time for graduation, end of the school year parties, bring on summer parties and picnics! These chicken drumettes are a favorite for kids of all ages! 

6-8 chicken drumettes 
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
Oil for frying

Make an egg wash by beating the eggs, buttermilk and hot sauce together in a shallow dish. Mix flour and spices in another shallow dish. Dip drumettes in egg wash then dredge in the flour mixture. For a thicker crust on the chicken, repeat that step again... egg then flour. In a heavy skillet, heat about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of oil to 365 degrees. (Or heat a deep fryer to 365 degrees) Place chicken in hot oil. (If the oil is not up to temp, the coating will not stick. Do not crowd the chicken in the pan or it will boil in the oil and not fry crispy.) Fry for about 5 minutes per side or until golden brown and no longer pink inside.

Lemon Pepper Sauce

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp minced garlic

lemon pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for a couple of minutes. Toss wings in sauce and serve.

Teriyaki Sauce

1/3 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

Mix all but the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of cold water, in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix cornstarch and water. Stir until dissolved. Add to saucepan. Heat until thickened. Toss wings in sauce and serve.

BBQ Hot Sauce

1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp oil
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup Texas Pete hot sauce***
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Sauté onion and garlic in oil in a large pan. Drain any excess oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes. 

*** Add more or less. Adjust to your taste. 

Vidalia Onion Rings

Well, this has been a challenging week. My laptop screen got cracked and nobody knows how it happened. OK! I ordered a new laptop and it should be here Wednesday. In the meantime, I am working through the cracks in the screen. I got to show the hubby something and didn't realize the camera was still attached to the USB. Down the camera goes to the floor! Long story short? Camera doesn't work now! My son took the pictures for this post. Not my usual look and angles... thanks for helping Mama out Elliott!

I used some of the Vidalia Onions that I got a couple of weeks ago! I cut thick slices and dredged them in flour. I made a tempura batter (click for the link). Heat the oil to 350 degrees. Dip the floured onion rings in the batter and completely coat. Let them drip off a bit. Drop into hot oil. when brown on the bottom, flip with a couple of wooden skewers and brown the other side. (Like a donuts) Drain on paper towels. Season and serve with your favorite sauce!

Strawberry Jam 3 Ways!

My friend Mary at All Things Food~Cooking with Mary and Friends brought me two gallons of strawberries the other day from Willard Farms. They are beautiful, fragrant and delicious! I decided to make three different types of jam. One regular batch of Strawberry Jam. One batch of Strawberry Jalapeno and one batch of Strawberry Basil Jam.

I washed and trimmed the stems of one gallon of strawberries. That yielded about 6 cups of chopped strawberries. It would have been a little more, but my hubby and son kept sneaking strawberries from the bucket! LOL

Strawberry Jam Base:

6 cups chopped strawberries
8 cups sugar (more or less depending on the sweetness of the berries)
1 pkg Sure-Jell fruit pectin

Add the strawberries to a large pot and mash a little with a large spoon or potato masher. When some juice has been extracted, add the pectin and stir to dissolve. Bring to a boil and add the sugar. Bring back to a rolling boil for at least one minute. I cooked mine a bit longer. Remove from heat. At this point I added the jam to 4 half pint jars.

For Strawberry Jalapeno:
Add 1~2 tablespoons chopped jalapenos to each of three jars, and add the jam leaving 1/4" head space.

For Strawberry Basil:
Add 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon dried basil according to taste in each of three jars or tear or mince fresh basil and add to jars.

Process jars in a hot water bath for ten minutes. (according to manufacturer's directions) Or if you are not sure how to or need a good reference when canning check out Ball's Step-by-Step Guide.

Southern Pickled Okra

I made pickled okra last summer, but I never realized I didn't make a blog post about it. I was trying so hard to baby the 4 plants that made it in planting and processing the yield, that the post just never occurred to me! Funny! Pictures and posts are usually first in my mind! LOL

 

Makes 6 (1/2-pt) jars 

 

1 pound okra (3 1/2 to 4 inches long)

3 teaspoons dried red pepper flakes

6 teaspoons dried dill
6 garlic cloves, peeled

3 cups cider vinegar (24 fluid ounces)

1 cup water
3 tablespoons kosher salt

Sterilize jars and lids. Put 1 garlic clove, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon dill in each jar. Tightly pack jars with okra, stem ends up. Bring remaining ingredients to a boil in a 2-quart nonreactive saucepan, stirring until salt is dissolved. Divide pickling liquid evenly among jars, leaving 1/4-inch space at top. Tap jars or run a knife or skewer around the jar to release air bubbles.

Seal and process jars. Wipe off rims of filled jars with a clean damp kitchen towel, and then firmly screw on lids and bands. Put sealed jars on rack in canner or pot and add enough hot water to cover. Bring to a boil. Boil pickles 10 minutes. Carefully transfer jars with tongs to a towel-lined surface to cool. Jars will seal (if you hear a ping, this signals that the vacuum formed at the top has made the lid concave).

Let pickled okra stand in jars at least 24 hours for flavors to develop.

Pickled okra (in sealed jars) keeps 6 months in a cool dark place.

Mama's One Minute Icing

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup cocoa

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar, cocoa, butter and milk together. Over medium heat, bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Add vanilla. Cool partially, then beat with a mixer for 3 minutes or until spreadable consistency.

This is not a fluffy kind of frosting that you use to decorate a cake. I did use it on the layer cake in the picture, but this is more of a icing that would go on a sheet cake, like Texas Sheet Cakes. The mixture will harden some, but it definitely shouldn't be soupy. Be careful not to heat it over too high a heat, or the sugar will start to turn to candy, which will make the mixture grainy. Spread on the cake quickly and let it set until completely cooled. 

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Red Sauce or Mama's Chicken Hawaiian Style

I got this recipe from my Mama's recipe file and modified it a little. When I made it, I realized it tastes just like the Chinese Restaurant's Red Sauce! I had been trying to duplicate that sauce for years because that's the main reason the hubby eats Chinese Food! LOL Stumbling on to this recipe was a real find! Mama called this Hawaiian Sauce!

 My version of Chinese Take-out!

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This is Mama's recipe...

Chicken Hawaiian Style

1 ½ lbs Chicken Breasts, cut into strips or cubes
1 cup Pineapple Chunks

1 cup Pineapple Juice

½ cup Vinegar

6 oz Tomato Paste

¾ cup Sugar

1 cup Water

1 t Salt

1/2 Green Bell Pepper
1/2 Red Bell Pepper

1 medium onion

2 T Cornstarch

Brown chicken strips in butter.* Drain pineapple, reserve syrup. Combine syrup with enough water to make 1 cup. Mix with tomato paste and water, vinegar and sugar in saucepan. Mix cornstarch with 1/2 cup water and add to pot. Heat until thickened and clear. Add pineapple chunks and bell pepper. Pour over chicken and simmer.

Mama's Note: “I used to make this for company a lot…It’s a change from the same old chicken…”

My modification...

*I used her tempura batter recipe and fried the chicken strips or cubes. I then prepared the sauce minus the green pepper. I didn't have any and my family doesn't like them anyway. I used the sauce as a dip instead of simmering the chicken in it like Mama's recipe.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

It's not a great picture, but this is my homemade Chocolate Buttercream Icing. It's an old recipe, but a goof proof one, which is good for me!!! It seems like a recipe gone bad after adding all the sugar. The icing is very dry, but after adding the milk, it whips right up into the perfect spreading consistency! 

½ cup solid vegetable shortening

½ cup (1stick) butter, softened

¾ cup cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 cups sifted confectioners' sugar (Powdered Sugar)

3-4 tablespoons milk

In large bowl, cream shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add cocoa and vanilla. Gradually add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Keep bowl covered with a damp cloth until ready to use.